Physician and Patient Dissatisfaction with Outpatient Pre-Screening Triage in Public Dental Hospitals: Scope and Strategies for Improvement.

Objectives: While pre-screening triage (PST) enhances healthcare efficiency in emergency and pediatric settings, its application in dental healthcare remains undervalued. This novel study implemented PST in dental services, identifying determinants of physician-patient dissatisfaction to optimize triage systems and promote dental health outcomes. Methods: A cross-sectional survey (July-September 2024) recruited 113 physicians and 206 patients via convenience sampling. Dissatisfaction levels were quantified using validated questionnaires and analyzed through t-tests, ANOVA, and regression models. Results: In total, 37.17% of physicians with prior PST experience demonstrated significantly higher dissatisfaction scores (37.67 ± 9.08 vs. 32.51 ± 10.08, p = 0.006). Multivariate analysis revealed that experienced physicians rated PST services 5.63 points higher than less experienced counterparts (95% CI: 0.75-10.51). Dental patients expressed dissatisfaction with nurse attitudes (β = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.07-2.01) and triage process inefficiencies. Conclusions: Key dissatisfaction drivers include a lack of physician PST exposure and nurse-patient interaction quality in dental settings. These findings advocate for the development of a specialized triage system to enhance clinical workflow efficiency and service effectiveness in dental healthcare.